Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes is a former reporter for Streetsblog San Francisco. He lives in the Mission Dolores neighborhood and is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning.
Recent Posts
Supervisors Delay Final Vote on Garage Legislation for Another Week
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Supervisor David Chiu has sponsored a measure to ban garages built following no-fault tenant evictions in parts of the Northeast corner of San Francisco. Photo: Michael Rhodes For a second time in two weeks, the Board of Supervisors today delayed a final vote on legislation that would impose stricter rules on the construction of new […]
Parking Tax Increase Could Mean Money and Riders for Muni
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Flickr photo: keever04 A ten-percent increase in the commercial off-street parking tax, from 25 percent to 35 percent of gross receipts, could bring in $20 million for Muni and reduce congestion by nudging downtown commuters towards transit, all without requiring any statewide legislative changes. But the proposal faces an uphill battle: A recent poll showed […]
Supervisors to Take Final Vote on Garage Legislation Tomorrow
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Flickr photo: ChazWags The Board of Supervisors will vote tomorrow on legislation that would limit new garages in Chinatown, North Beach and Telegraph Hill. After approving the legislation on first reading by a 7-2 vote on February 9, the supervisors voted on February 23 to continue the measure until tomorrow. Supervisor Bevan Dufty, whose vote […]
The Muni Summit and the Challenges of Organizing Muni Riders
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Save Muni Summit attendees sit town at the table together. Photo: Michael Rhodes One lesson from Saturday’s Save Muni Summit and from MTA Board hearings jam-packed with Muni supporters in the past two weeks is that Muni riders are not an apathetic bunch. But if riders are willing to go to City Hall and to […]
This Week in Livable Streets Events
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It’s Sunday Streets time! Check out the first Sunday Streets route of the year, plus a town hall meeting on next year’s Muni budget. Here are the week’s highlights: Tuesday: SPUR Lunchtime Forum: Vacant lots: ideas for temporary use. Join for a discussion moderated by The Chronicle’s John King on how to activate some of […]
Transit Supporters Seek Solutions at Save Muni Summit
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Photos: Michael Rhodes About 100 transit supporters gathered for a summit at the Women’s Building this morning to discuss Muni’s future, settle on issues that have broad support, and build a movement to lobby for a better Municipal Railway. Many of the solutions that were popular with participants today have been widely discussed before, and […]
MTA Board May Finally Get Creative on Funding, But Obstacles Remain
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MTA Executive Director Nat Ford and Board members Jerry Lee, James McCray, and Chairman Tom Nolan. Could the bleakest budget in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s history force its directors to finally get creative in funding Muni? The answer, judging from Tuesday’s MTA Board meeting, is yes. Fresh off approving a 10 percent cut […]
Reminder: Save Muni Summit Tomorrow
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Women’s Building, site of the Save Muni Summit. Flickr photo: jon starbuck Transit supporters and representatives from over 60 organizations from across the city will gather tomorrow to discuss Muni’s future, and try to identify solutions and strategies to improve the city’s transit system and help it survive the current budget crisis. The idea, two […]
State Legislature Bill Could Restore Millions in STA Funds to Struggling MTA
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Rare good news out of Sacramento. But will the Governor approve it? Flickr photo: The Junk Last minute legislation to send some State Transit Assistance (STA) funds back to local transit agencies could prove a huge boon for Muni if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approves it. The bill, ABX8 9, was approved by the California State […]
MTA Board Takes More Service Cuts and Fee for Transfers Off the Table
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Transfers aren’t going anywhere (though they’ll soon all be done by TransLink.) Flickr photo: Rubin 110 If today’s MTA Board meeting was any indication, Muni’s governing body has no appetite for additional service cuts, and charging for transfers is an idea dead on arrival. MTA staff had included both ideas among about a dozen options […]
MTA Budget Proposals Include Parking Meter Extension, More Service Cuts
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Click to view full PDF. MTA staff is proposing various ballot initiatives to bring in new revenue. Image courtesy SFMTA. Facing deficits of $56.4 million and $45 million in the next two fiscal years, the MTA will present ideas today to close yet another budget gap, including extending parking meter hours, eliminating transfers and cutting […]
Muni Plans for Full Transition to TransLink Smart Card
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A crew removes an old fare gate at Civic Center station to make way for a new TransLink-only turnstile. Photo: Michael Rhodes While AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit and transbay ferries already accept Translink, in the coming years, nearly every Bay Area transit agency is expected to adopt the payment cards. That means […]